Head Lice Myths Dispelled

There are many myths around regarding head lice which can be very confusing for parents when it comes to separating fact from fiction. Following we help to dispel some of these myths and arm you with the facts.

We welcome your input on any myths you have heard of or if you have a question you need answered about head lice.

Myth: A head lice infestation is a sign of poor personal hygiene. They prefer dirty hair.
Fact: It is not a sign of poor hygiene and is nothing for your child to feel embarrassed about. They don’t discriminate and don’t care if hair was washed this morning or last week.

Myth: If you have head lice your head will itch.
Fact: Not always. The bites inflicted by head lice are not painful so it is possible to have head lice and not itch. Their saliva and faeces can however cause an allergic reaction which often results in irritation and itching.

Myth: Kids can catch head lice from the family pet.
Fact: Not possible. Head lice are human parasites and must feed on us to survive. They are not interested in your pet. They can’t live without a human host as the typical louse dehydrates and dies anywhere between 6 and 24 hours when away from the scalp.

Myth: Lice can be caught by jumping from head to head
Fact: They are unable to hop, jump, or fly at all – they are transmitted by close personal contact with an infested person’s head or by sharing articles of clothing, head gear like caps and hats, brushes and combs or even headsets.

Myth: Head lice are harmful and spread disease.
Fact: Although annoying, infestation of head lice is of very little medical consequence, unless you scratch your head to the extent that you get a secondary infection. They cannot transmit diseases to humans.

Myth: The only way I can make sure the lice have been exterminated is if I disinfect all the bedding.
Fact: You do not need to wash bedding eradicate head lice. A lot of parents feel more comfortable washing the sheets, and this is not a problem – we all love clean sheets!

Myth: Only children get infested with head lice.
Fact: Not so. Lice do not discriminate by age. Children are more likely to attract lice because of the way they play and are often in close contact with each other at school, play group, camps, buses etc.

Myth: Long hair is more likely to attract hair lice.
Fact: The length of hair has no importance since head lice are only interested in the immediate area of the hair near the scalp.

Myth: One treatment will get rid of my head lice.
Fact: It is difficult to kill all the head lice and eggs present when the infestation is first treated because of the life span of the louse (to see more click here). You need to follow the instructions of your treatment very carefully. Eggs can hatch between treatments so repeat treatments are necessary to break the head lice life cycle and kill any newly hatched head lice (nymphs).
Conditioner and fine tooth combing is a recommended strategy between treatments to detect and manually remove nymphs and eggs.

Myth: I hear that head lice have become resistant to all forms of treatment so there is no point in buying de-lousing products.
Fact: Head lice resistance to some insecticides is common around the world, making these treatments ineffective. If live head lice are still present after correctly applied treatment, the head lice may be resistant to that particular product.
MOOV Head Lice Solution has a volatile active. Once the product is washed from the hair, any residual Eucalyptus oil will rapidly volatilise from the hair. This should prevent the emergence of resistant strains of lice, thus helping to maintain the efficacy of MOOV Head Lice Solution*.

*Where is the Evidence for Treating Head Lice [extended version] by Dr Kerryn Greive PHD, Dr James Rowe and Dr Jane Oppenheim’.

Myth: Nothing seems to work!
Fact: Some cases of head lice seem horribly persistent. To solve these you have to use a very systemic approach. Reasons for failure come down to one or several of the following:
- Inadequate application of the product
- Lice are resistant to insecticide
- Failure to retreat to kill nymphs emerged from eggs
- Reinfection